As I was being born,I very nearly died.From that moment on,Nothing has been less complex.The same event,That wrapped the cord around my neck,Not once, but twice,Made me exceptional, unique, and impressive.The rest of my life has followed suit,Almost to a “T.”For every tragedy,Big or small,(And many there have been,)Something good, amazing, or inspiring,Has swept in to replace it.I know I’m not the person,My parents expected me to be.In the same vein,I know that nothing I have expected,Has turned out how I thought it might be.And for me,As is for my family,I couldn’t be prouder,Of how things turned out.The expectations we have,Or have set for us,Limit us.Only through grit and determination,Can we succeed,To exceed the expectations.My grit,My guts,My passion, love, and lust,Comes not from those with expectations,It comes from,And exists for,The people who support me.The ones I choose to support.My family,Having grown past what,And who,They thought I would be.My friends,Who know only what I choose to show them,And, more importantly,What I refuse to see in myself.It’s these loved ones,That have chosen me,Despite my many flaws,It’s these cherished few,Whom I have chosen,For reasons felt,If not fully understood.It is these people,That I live for.Not to impress.Not to live up to expectations for.But to grow with.To share with.To exist with.The tragedy,That has allowed me,To cultivate the best people,And the best things in those people,Is that I find myself,(Several poetic exceptions aside,)Unable to properly share that love.My life,My wonderful, simple, happy life,Has been so complicated by the racing thoughts,Of my tireless mind,That I can’t seem to reconcile,How I feel,With how I act.Again,That difficulty,Is made simpler,Through the gifts I have been given.The voice I have learned to speak with.The hands I have learned to write with.The heart I have learned to feel with.It is those gifts,That no one could have expected me to have.My family,Who I could have never dreamed of being blessed with,And my friends,A greater group then I could have ever hoped to know,It is those things,That support and propel me onward,That make every battle one worth fighting.It is all of you,That make my fears,(Of which there are many,)Challenges to be faced and conquered.So I thank you.I thank your lack of expectations.I thank your support.I thank your love. I thank you.